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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: bark · file · cell · last · bass · rash · bulb · rock

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. last — finally
  7. file — a tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — hasty
  18. last — to go on
  19. rash — a series
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — final
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rock — to move gently

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