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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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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bulb — for light
  4. suit — in cards
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a music group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. current — of water
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — for light
  13. current — happening now
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — a country
  16. current — electric
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. march — the month
  22. suit — to fit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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