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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: chair · trunk · stand · jam · nail · rush · bulb · band

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — a leader
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — to bear
  24. band — a music group

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