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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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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 · staff · bear · stem · rule · wound · fan · kid

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — a law
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — employees
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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