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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — a coil
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rush — hurry
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tear — to rip
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spring — the season
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spring — of water
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — in cards

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