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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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468
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: clip · ruler · chest · bear · racket · can · spring · jam

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. clip — a video
  5. bear — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — the season
  17. chest — a box
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bear — the animal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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