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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: ruler · chest · pop · last · spring · staff · jam · track

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — a box
  4. last — finally
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. last — final
  7. spring — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. staff — employees
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a path
  13. last — to go on
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a song
  18. pop — music
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. spring — the season
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. track — to keep track
  24. spring — a coil

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