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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: bulb · band · land · rock · date · jam · fan · object

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — to come down
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. object — a thing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. bulb — for light
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rock — a stone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. land — ground
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rock — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — the fruit
  18. object — to protest
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — a country
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — an aim
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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