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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: net · sharp · mate · pit · branch · firm · field · bulb

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. net — in sport
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — farmland
  5. firm — a company
  6. net — after costs
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — to breed
  11. field — for sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — for catching
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a friend
  22. firm — decided
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. sharp — exactly

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