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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: bulb · band · current · file · can · temple · wax · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. can — a tin
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bulb — for light
  14. current — electric
  15. drill — army training
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. can — to be able to
  23. current — happening now
  24. file — a document

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