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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · fan · bark · fall · arm · pound · spring · jam

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. spring — the season
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pound — a weight
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fall — the season
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — to hit hard

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