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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: tube · season · arm · net · bulb · ball · rush · straw

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ball — a great time
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — a container
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — after costs
  24. bulb — of a plant

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