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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 116 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: squash · band · wind · net · bulb · ground · can · board

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ground — the earth
  11. can — a tin
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. board — to get on
  20. can — a tin
  21. board — a committee
  22. net — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  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