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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 · saw · track · mine · pop · jam · nail · season

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — soda
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. track — a song
  16. season — in sport
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. season — of the year
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. saw — the tool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pop — music
  23. track — a path
  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