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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: bowl · march · ruler · season · stem · jam · chest · swing

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. swing — to play on
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — a box
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — of the year
  15. march — music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. swing — music
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ruler — a monarch

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