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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: bat · net · pound · wave · spell · bulb · mine · press

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. press — to push
  5. net — after costs
  6. spell — letters
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — a weight
  16. net — for catching
  17. spell — magic
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mine — for digging

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