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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: racket · mark · lean · firm · shower · net · bulb · spring

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — a trace
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — thin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — to wash
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mark — a grade
  20. firm — decided
  21. net — after costs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — rain
  24. firm — steady

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