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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: jam · cold · tube · leaves · spell · spring · mug · toast

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — bread
  7. spell — letters
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spell — a short time
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mug — to rob
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — an illness
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. mug — a face

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