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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: shower · jam · march · spell · spring · saw · chair · rush

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — magic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spell — letters
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — the season
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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