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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: pitcher · bound · rush · bulb · chest · jam · wave · fork

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — a box
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bound — certain
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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