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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: jam · pop · cap · bulb · roll · shower · file · stand

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pop — soda
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pop — to visit
  7. file — a document
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bulb — for light
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a tool

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