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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: lash · roll · bear · craft · shower · land · ball · jam

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — rain
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. roll — a list
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. ball — a round shape

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