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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: pitcher · scale · wind · roll · jam · hand · cell · arm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. scale — size or range
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cell — a phone
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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