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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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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: rest · band · racket · wound · drill · wake · bulb · present

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. present — there
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — the time now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. present — a gift
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a ring
  21. rest — a break
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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