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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: season · jam · kid · saw · cap · trunk · game · wound

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a match
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — child
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kid — to tease
  24. trunk — of a tree

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