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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
468
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: bulb · bass · fork · field · file · patient · rash · fall

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. file — a tool
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — a series
  18. fall — the season
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — farmland
  24. rash — on the skin

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