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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: pop · cold · bulb · drill · bass · kid · jam · ruler

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pop — music
  9. kid — child
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. drill — army training
  24. cold — not warm

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