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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: can · bear · wind · press · bound · bulb · net · chair

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — newspapers
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — certain
  15. press — to push
  16. can — a tin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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