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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 · hand · key · last · wind · jam · bowl · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hand — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — help
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spring — the season
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — of water
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. key — the most important part

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