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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 · pound · face · game · band · rash · pitch · stem

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — to come from
  5. face — part of the head
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rash — hasty
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. band — a music group
  11. game — wild animals
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. band — a ring
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — a weight

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