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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: tube · bulb · charge · march · staff · ball · hide · band

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — a container
  4. band — a ring
  5. staff — employees
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — a price
  15. march — the month
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. march — music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — for light

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