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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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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: file · bear · arm · jam · hand · craft · suit · tear

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. suit — clothes
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — help
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. suit — in cards
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. hand — in cards
  18. craft — boats
  19. bear — the animal
  20. craft — a skill
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tear — to rip

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