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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 · saw · field · cabinet · dip · bulb · clip · lash

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — after costs
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. field — farmland
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — for catching
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. field — a subject
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — a video
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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