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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: firm · spell · mine · bulb · fork · net · bat · leaves

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. firm — steady
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — after costs
  18. firm — a company
  19. spell — letters
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — for catching
  23. firm — decided
  24. mine — belonging to me

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