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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · jam · rash · bulb · fall · mouse · game · cold

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. cold — not warm
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — an illness
  24. game — a match

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