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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: rash · rock · mark · cold · fan · wake · bulb · last

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cold — an illness
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — finally
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — of a plant

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