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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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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: band · bulb · pound · saw · craft · stem · march · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. band — a ring
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. craft — boats
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cold — an illness
  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