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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: fan · wind · chest · spring · cabinet · racket · foot · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chest — a box
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — moving air

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