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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 · mouse · rash · wake · drill · calf · band · net

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. band — a ring
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wake — a trail
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. drill — army training
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — in sport

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