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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: perch · jam · tube · rash · craft · file · nail · bat

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a document
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rash — a series
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — the underground
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tube — a container
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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