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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: arm · bank · ruler · tear · jam · cold · fork · can

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — in a road
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — a tin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — not warm
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bank — of a river

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