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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: nail · hand · ground · net · cap · kick · bulb · fan

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — after costs
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — in sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. kick — in football
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ground — a position
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — crushed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a hat

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