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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: stem · jam · wound · fine · march · roll · squash · cap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. roll — a list
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — music
  9. fine — all right
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — to crush
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stem — to come from

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