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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: craft · fan · present · squash · jam · rush · mate · row

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mate — a partner
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — boats
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — a friend
  14. row — to paddle
  15. squash — to crush
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. present — the time now
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — to breed
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. present — there
  23. rush — hurry
  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