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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: bore · bulb · snap · bat · rash · mug · band · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rash — a series
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. band — a music group
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — in an idiom

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