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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 116 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: calf · march · net · snap · land · spell · bulb · perch

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. march — the month
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — a young animal

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