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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: spring · bowl · jam · face · sharp · pop · kid · arm

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — soda
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kid — to tease
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — child
  14. pop — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — of water

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