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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: nail · pit · jam · bear · squash · file · stand · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a document
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. file — a line of people
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spring — of water

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