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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: rush · sharp · safe · jam · chair · bulb · wound · tear

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — to rip
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — out of danger

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