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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: jam · last · board · scale · pitcher · spring · mine · trunk

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. last — final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spring — the season
  7. mine — for digging
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — size or range
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spring — of water
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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