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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: field · roll · march · firm · pass · jam · fine · spring

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. march — music
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pass — a permit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. firm — steady
  9. fine — high quality
  10. firm — a company
  11. field — farmland
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. fine — all right
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. field — for sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — of water
  21. roll — a list
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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