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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: scale · club · hand · jam · prune · rash · row · temple

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. club — for golf
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rash — hasty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. row — a line
  10. club — a group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. row — to paddle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — help
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — a series
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. hand — part of the 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