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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: rush · last · band · drill · rash · tube · bulb · face

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. rush — hurry
  3. face — part of the head
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rash — a series
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. rash — hasty
  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