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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: lash · cold · patient · key · scale · row · cue · jam

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — a hint
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cue — a signal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — in music
  24. lash — to lash out

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