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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: jam · spring · chip · date · field · toast

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spring — of water
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — a subject
  9. chip — for betting
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. spring — a coil
  12. field — for sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — bread
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chip — to eat

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