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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: wound · safe · file · tear · current · jam · drill · club

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — of water
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. file — a line of people
  8. drill — army training
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a document
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tear — to rip
  16. club — a group
  17. drill — the tool
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  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