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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: fall · hand · bulb · file · jam · fine · rash · perch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fine — all right
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — help
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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