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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: jam · bulb · club · file · content · band · date · nail

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. date — the fruit
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. club — for golf
  12. file — a document
  13. content — happy
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. band — a music group
  16. bulb — for light
  17. club — for dancing
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — the amount
  24. club — a group

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