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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: jam · kid · arm · lean · shower · spring · roll · stand

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — a coil
  3. roll — a list
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spring — the season
  7. lean — thin
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — rain
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stand — to bear

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