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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: jam · pop · tear · pitcher · chest · rush · spring · lie

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — of water
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pop — soda
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pop — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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