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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.

Make a worksheet

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: row · file · mouse · coach · land · bulb · stick · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bulb — for light
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a document
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a line of people
  11. land — ground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. row — to paddle
  20. file — a tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. land — a country

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