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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 116 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: bulb · press · rash · tube · drill · current · wake · band

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. current — electric
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. drill — army training
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. current — happening now
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — a series
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. drill — a practice
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tube — in a tire

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