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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: file · bulb · straw · band · firm · rest · ball · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. band — a ring
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rest — a break
  23. file — a tool
  24. firm — a company

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