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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 116 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: bulb · pitcher · lean · rule · band · ground · club · face

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. face — to confront
  3. club — a group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. band — a music group
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a ring
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — a position
  24. bulb — for light

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