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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spring — a coil
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a music group
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — the time now
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — there
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a ring

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