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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: trunk · drill · bulb · deal · season · rash · row · jam

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. drill — a practice
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. drill — army training
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — for light
  22. row — to paddle
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rash — hasty

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