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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: tear · rock · field · content · mouse · jam · march · fork

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rock — music
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. field — farmland
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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