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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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Word bank
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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: deal · drill · band · can · current · bulb · object · field

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a music group
  5. drill — army training
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — an aim
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a ring
  21. current — of water
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. object — a thing

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