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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: spring · saw · can · rest · cold · date · kid · jam

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. can — a tin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. kid — child
  8. spring — a coil
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. can — to be able to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. cold — an illness

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