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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 · mine · stick · pitcher · spring · clip · land · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spring — the season
  4. clip — a video
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — for paper
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — to come down

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