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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 116 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: sharp · current · spring · rest · saw · pit · bulb · tear

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — a hole
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rest — a break
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — in a race
  24. sharp — exactly

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