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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: lean · staff · bulb · net · drill · cold · mouse · wound

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — a stick
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to bend
  22. drill — army training
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lean — thin

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