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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.

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: patient · rash · file · bulb · rock · track · capital · perch

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bulb — for light
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. track — a path
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rock — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a line of people
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — money

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