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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: foot · content · snap · current · mine · fall · bulb · band

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — the season
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. content — the amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. foot — a measure
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mine — for digging
  21. band — a ring
  22. content — happy
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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