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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: bulb · straw · fan · net · bass · stem · chip · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chip — for betting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chip — to eat
  22. file — a line of people
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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