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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 · mine · field · content · rush · stem · key · sharp

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rush — hurry
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. key — the most important part
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. key — in music
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. content — the amount

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