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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: nail · bound · craft · pop · spring · content · jam · net

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. craft — boats
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. net — in sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. net — after costs
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. content — happy
  20. spring — the season
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. bound — tied together
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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