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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chest — a box
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spell — magic
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a music group

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