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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 120 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: stick · temple · charge · band · bulb · tube · hand · wake

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. charge — a price
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — help
  10. charge — electricity
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — in control
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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