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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: ruler · band · row · fan · sharp · bulb · jam · mine

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. band — a music group
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — for light
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fan — to cool the air

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