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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: staff · wind · coach · bulb · chip · sharp · stand · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. staff — employees
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chip — for betting
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bulb — for light
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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