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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: wound · jam · track · racket · stand · fine · land · row

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fine — all right
  4. track — a song
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a path
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. track — to keep track
  20. land — to come down
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. row — a line

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