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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 120 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: season · net · bass · bulb · nail · pound · kid · mine

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — in sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. net — after costs
  15. bulb — for light
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  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