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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: swing · saw · hand · jam · chest · craft · deal · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — to handle
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. craft — boats
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. swing — in golf
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — help
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. saw — the tool
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. swing — music

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