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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · craft · hide · march · jam · scale · patient · bound

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — in music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. craft — a skill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. craft — boats
  17. bound — certain
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — size or range

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