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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: jam · firm · field · lash · cold · chip · bass · spring

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cold — an illness
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. spring — of water
  16. field — farmland
  17. spring — the season
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — not warm
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. firm — steady
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. firm — decided

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