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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: craft · bulb · field · march · stem · arm · kid · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — a skill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bulb — for light
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — boats
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. march — music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. arm — a part of something

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