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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: arm · spring · face · mug · fan · jam · track · present

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — the time now
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. face — to confront
  9. spring — the season
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — a song
  15. present — a gift
  16. track — a path
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — to point toward
  20. present — there
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mug — to rob
  24. track — to keep track

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