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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: nail · bulb · shower · plane · band · rush · tube · deal

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bulb — for light
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — a container
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. deal — to handle
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rush — a thrill

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