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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: lean · tube · bay · date · clip · spell · jam · bore

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. lean — thin
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tube — a container
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — a video
  15. spell — magic
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. spell — letters
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — gave birth

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