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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: band · board · bulb · cabinet · row · object · last · spring

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — a thing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. last — finally
  9. object — to protest
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — a line
  12. last — to go on
  13. board — a committee
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — final
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. object — an aim
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. band — a rubber band

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