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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: rule · row · fan · track · bulb · file · bear · drill

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a document
  6. rule — a law
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. file — a tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — a path
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — army training
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rule — government
  24. bulb — for light

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