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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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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: kid · rash · fan · leaves · spring · safe · pitcher · jam

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — child
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — the season
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — a series
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. safe — out of danger

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