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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: fork · hand · bulb · lash · ground · net · spell · fall

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — a position
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fork — in a road
  7. net — in sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — after costs
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — letters

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