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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: drill · bulb · game · stick · tear · jam · trunk · press

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — to push
  10. tear — from crying
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — a publisher
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bulb — for light

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