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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · bulb · row · fan · root · bass · ground · kid

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — child
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — for light
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ground — the earth
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. row — a line

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