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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: bear · cabinet · firm · kick · jam · spring · cold · dip

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. kick — in football
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — of water
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. spring — a coil
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. firm — steady
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — not warm
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. firm — a company

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