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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.

Words on the sheet
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: coach · snap · rash · bulb · tear · jam · game · tube

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rash — a series
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a match
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. snap — to click
  16. bulb — for light
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — a kind of play
  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