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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · craft · row · field · bulb · bark · band · shower

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. field — for sport
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. row — a line
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. band — a music group
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — boats
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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