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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: hand · spring · bore · season · bear · jam · dip · wave

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spring — the season
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — help
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — in sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bore — to drill

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