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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · bound · bulb · fan · clip · stand · bass · last

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — after costs
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — certain
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — for catching
  11. bass — low music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. clip — for paper
  14. last — finally
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — in sport
  17. last — final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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