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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: saw · bulb · jam · stick · bowl · tear · fan · rash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — to rip
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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