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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: sharp · stem · jam · field · club · drill · stick · chest

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. field — farmland
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. club — a group
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. sharp — clever
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chest — of your body

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