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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 · rash · saw · land · spring · file · cell · coach

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a document
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. saw — the tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. land — to come down
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in biology
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — a phone
  20. file — a line of people
  21. land — a country
  22. spring — of water
  23. saw — the tool
  24. land — ground

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