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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: bulb · jam · fan · toast · wind · chest · bat · charge

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chest — a box
  14. toast — bread
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — in control
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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