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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: bear · tube · row · season · jam · object · fan · saw

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. object — to protest
  8. season — of the year
  9. row — a line
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — a thing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. tube — a container
  24. jam — a tight spot

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