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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: fan · craft · bulb · rush · bay · cap · rash · content

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rash — hasty
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rush — hurry
  11. content — the amount
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. craft — boats
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. cap — of ice

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