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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: march · stem · craft · pitcher · cue · jam · court · wound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cue — for pool
  9. march — the month
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. march — music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — boats
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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