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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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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: bowl · kid · wound · stem · bear · deal · cabinet · jam

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — to come from
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cabinet — ministers

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