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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 · net · fan · squash · roll · cabinet · fall · bulb

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the sport
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — after costs
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fall — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. jam — in traffic

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