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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: current · stem · drill · wax · bark · bay · bulb · band

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a ring
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — electric
  7. drill — army training
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. band — a music group
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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