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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: last · field · track · stem · bore · bass · jam · ball

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. track — a path
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. track — a song
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — final
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — finally
  14. field — for sport
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. last — to go on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — farmland
  24. stem — a stem cell

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