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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.

Words on the sheet
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: tube · season · row · march · drill · jam · bear · fork

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — the tool
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. drill — army training
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. row — a line
  24. tube — a container

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