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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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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: hand · hide · track · bulb · fan · band · snap · bear

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a song
  13. band — a ring
  14. hand — in cards
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — a path
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — help
  24. bear — to put up with

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