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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
468
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: field · arm · chair · stem · squash · file · jam · shower

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. file — a document
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. squash — the sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — for sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. squash — the vegetable

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