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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: scale · stem · track · jam · rush · object · ground · band

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a path
  14. object — an aim
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. scale — in music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. object — to protest
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. object — a thing

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