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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
468
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: bat · bay · cold · drill · bound · temple · band · bulb

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — for light
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cold — an illness
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. drill — army training
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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