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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · wake · band · rash · bulb · bass · march · mouse

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bass — low music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — a series
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mouse — the animal

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