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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 116 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: bulb · rest · wound · cabinet · sharp · saw · rash · bark

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rest — a break
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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