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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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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: last · deal · lash · band · bulb · bowl · sharp · can

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. last — final
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. can — a tin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. can — to be able to
  15. last — to go on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — finally
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lash — to lash out

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