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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: field · jam · ruler · capital · drill · band · temple · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. capital — money
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. field — farmland
  12. capital — a city
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bulb — for light
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. field — for sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — army training
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. field — a subject
  24. ruler — a monarch

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