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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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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: bank · march · jam · row · stem · bay · race · cap

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. row — to paddle
  5. march — music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — for money
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bank — for money
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cap — of ice
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. row — a line
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cap — a lid

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