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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — of water
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. swing — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. swing — in golf
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. craft — boats
  18. drill — a practice
  19. deal — to handle
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. drill — army training
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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