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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: hand · jam · tear · current · chest · lean · spell · pitcher

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — a box
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — magic
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. hand — help
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chest — of your body
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — of water

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