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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: bulb · bear · scale · sharp · fan · mark · prune · net

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. scale — in music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — a grade
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — for catching
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — to pay attention

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