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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 · hide · rash · jam · wound · can · lean · chest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. can — a tin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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