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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: bulb · march · nail · file · wound · race · rock · land

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — ground
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. file — a tool
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — a contest
  18. land — a country
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — humankind
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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