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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: bear · foot · jam · ball · stem · pound · land · straw

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pound — a weight
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ball — a dance
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. foot — the bottom

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