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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: jam · mouse · field · drill · stem · wave · rock · game

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rock — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. game — a match
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — farmland
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. drill — the tool

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