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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: hand · foot · spring · file · ball · cell · jam · stock

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. foot — a measure
  3. file — a line of people
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stock — shares
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. file — a document

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