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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: jam · racket · land · rash · roll · stem · game · march

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — music
  4. game — a match
  5. land — a country
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — a series
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — to come down
  19. roll — a cake
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. march — the month

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