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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: jam · drill · spring · saw · row · temple · dip · cabinet

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — to paddle
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — army training
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. dip — to sink
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. drill — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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