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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: cell · current · jam · chest · bear · ground · nail · date

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. date — the fruit
  10. current — electric
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ground — a position

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