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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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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: swing · march · jam · wind · capital · kick · stem · bowl

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. kick — in football
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. capital — money
  24. wind — to turn a key

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