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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: band · fan · squash · mouse · bat · cue · prune · bulb

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a ring
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cue — a hint
  22. squash — to crush
  23. band — a music group
  24. squash — the vegetable

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