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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: cue · jam · plane · roll · leaves · wound · game · spring

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. game — wild animals
  4. roll — a list
  5. wound — an injury
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. game — a match
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. roll — a cake
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — the season
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cue — a hint
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cue — for pool

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