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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a document
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — in music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mark — a grade
  12. file — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — low music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chest — a box

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