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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · net · cell · bulb · safe · bowl · wound · fan

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cell — in biology
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. march — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. net — in sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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