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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 120 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 · key · bear · clip · mine · net · rash · wake

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — for catching
  9. mine — for digging
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — to put up with

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