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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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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: staff · net · rest · last · bulb · saw · lean · tear

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. rest — what's left
  3. last — final
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. net — in sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — after costs
  17. rest — a break
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. last — finally
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — for light
  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