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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: roll · foot · saw · bass · march · fork · jam · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. march — the month
  3. field — for sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. roll — a list
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fork — in a road
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. field — a subject
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — farmland
  24. bass — low music

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