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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 120 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 · pass · deal · row · rule · key · band · trunk

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. key — for a lock
  3. band — a ring
  4. key — in music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rule — government
  8. deal — to handle
  9. key — the most important part
  10. row — a line
  11. band — a music group
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — to paddle

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