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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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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 · band · cell · drill · club · board · snap · pit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. drill — army training
  6. board — a committee
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. club — a group
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — a practice
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. club — for golf
  20. band — a music group
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cell — a phone
  24. board — to get on

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