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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: net · bulb · leaves · land · drill · tube · chip · lie

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — in sport
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chip — for betting
  9. land — to come down
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. drill — the tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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