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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: charge · hand · fan · board · bulb · band · rest · jam

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a committee
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rest — what's left
  18. charge — a price
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — to get on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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