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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
468
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: hand · scale · tear · season · wind · fan · jam · mine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. scale — in music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — help
  13. season — of the year
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — to rip
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fan — to cool the 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