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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: file · club · can · cap · bulb · coach · rash · row

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. club — for golf
  5. rash — a series
  6. row — to paddle
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. row — a line
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — a group
  19. file — a document
  20. cap — of ice
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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