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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: season · mug · bark · fork · track · mine · net · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mug — a face
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — for catching
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — a song
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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