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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: leaves · bay · stem · game · cap · jam · fine · hand

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hand — help
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. game — a match
  12. cap — a lid
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fine — all right
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cap — of ice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stem — of a plant

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