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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: cell · wind · rush · file · bulb · pit · club · coach

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. club — for golf
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cell — a phone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. club — a 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