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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 · temple · wave · jam · last · can · bore · fan

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — final
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — finally
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. can — a tin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bore — to drill
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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