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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: bank · pop · chest · pitcher · rush · bulb · sharp · nail

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — of a river
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — a box
  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