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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: file · rock · date · sharp · field · stem · kid · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. sharp — clever
  7. file — a document
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — child
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — a subject
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — farmland

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