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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 120 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: lean · deal · present · bulb · band · fall · pop · tube

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. present — there
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — a container
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pop — music
  16. present — a gift
  17. lean — thin
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. band — a ring

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