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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · shower · bulb · land · band · current · leaves · saw

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ball — a dance
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — happening now
  5. land — a country
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. land — ground
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. bulb — for light
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ball — a great time
  20. current — of water
  21. land — to come down
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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