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

Word bank: bulb · kick · swing · kid · race · band

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a ring
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a music group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — a contest
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football

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