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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 116 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: row · mine · firm · bulb · band · cue

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. firm — a company
  12. mine — for digging
  13. firm — steady
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — decided

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