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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: file · prune · mug · spring · arm · fan · jam · scale

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spring — the season
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. scale — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — a coil
  20. file — a tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. arm — part of the body

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