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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 · plane · cold · spring · can · tear · craft · bass

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — the season
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. craft — boats
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. can — to be able to
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. craft — a skill
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. craft — a handicraft

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