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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: pitcher · stem · root · jam · bear · field · sharp · content

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — a subject
  6. root — the cause
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — happy
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — to come from
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — for sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. content — the amount

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