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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: coach · march · jam · bank · season · roll · field · row

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. field — a subject
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — for sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bank — for money
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bank — of a river
  24. roll — a list

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