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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: foot · pound · spring · bear · arm · jam · clip · leaves

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spring — of water
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bear — the animal

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