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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 · track · bulb · game · chest · bark · file · cap

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — to shout
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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