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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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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 · wound · pitcher · roll · net · race · tear · jam

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. race — a contest
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — after costs
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — from crying

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