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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: face · foot · bulb · bowl · net · last · band · saw

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — part of the head

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