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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 · jam · spring · ground · fall · roll · bass · rash

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. spring — of water
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — hasty
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rash — a series
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bulb — for light
  14. roll — a list
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — the season
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fall — to drop
  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