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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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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: march · deal · fall · trunk · stem · jam · track · stick

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — a path
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — to come from

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