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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: spring · roll · jam · bay · toast · straw · arm · content

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. roll — a list
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. content — happy
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spring — of water
  22. toast — bread
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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