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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: ball · dip · cabinet · pass · jam · clip · bear · wind

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a dance
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. clip — a video
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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