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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: bank · fall · hide · present · spring · chest · game · jam

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bank — for money
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. present — a gift
  11. bank — for money
  12. chest — a box
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. spring — of water
  21. present — there
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — the season
  24. bank — of a river

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