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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: chest · bear · trunk · jam · tear · pitch · bass · field

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — a box
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bass — low music
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. field — a subject
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. jam — in traffic

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