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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: root · fall · pitcher · jam · present · field · march · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — the time now
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — for sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. root — the cause
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — a subject
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. present — there
  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