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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: bulb · ruler · band · mine · can · bat · jam · kid

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. band — a ring
  6. kid — to tease
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a music group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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