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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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468
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: jam · rash · tear · bulb · nail · chair · pit · land

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. land — ground
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — a leader
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pit — in a race
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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