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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 · season · wound · arm · saw · object · row · sharp

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. object — to protest
  3. row — to paddle
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — a thing
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a line
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. sharp — clever
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. object — an aim
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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