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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: cap · object · stem · track · jam · board · degree · march

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stem — to come from
  4. degree — an amount
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. march — music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — temperature
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — of ice
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — from a university
  20. object — a thing
  21. march — the month
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. board — a flat piece

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