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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 · bowl · band · wind · track · date · shower · vault

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. band — a ring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. date — the fruit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. vault — a safe
  18. band — a music group
  19. track — a path
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. date — on the calendar

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