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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 · foot · rule · bear · stem · bowl · clip · cold

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rule — government
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bear — the animal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. rule — a law
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — a dish

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