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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stem — to come from
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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