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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: season · fan · band · bulb · bore · drill · jam · mouse

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. band — a music group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a ring
  11. bore — to tire
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — of the year
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — in sport
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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