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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: stand · chair · key · content · jam · spring · swing · bear

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — of water
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. key — the most important part
  12. content — the amount
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. key — for a lock
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spring — the season
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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