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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: rest · pop · wound · jam · season · file · club · bulb

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. file — a document
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — of the year
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. club — for dancing
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. club — a group
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — a break

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