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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · toast · net · leaves · clip · prune · foot · bulb

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. net — for catching
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. foot — a measure
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. toast — bread
  13. kid — child
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — after costs
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — to trim
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com