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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: saw · jam · kid · hand · rest · spring · bank · tear

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — to tease
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spring — the season
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — of water

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