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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: stem · racket · ground · last · jam · rash · roll · wake

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rash — a series
  10. wake — a trail
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rash — hasty
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — final
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — finally

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