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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 · staff · bark · rash · spring · kick · chest · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spring — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bass — low music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — a box
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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