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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 · chest · rule · wake · sharp · jam · bore · stem

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. chest — a box
  4. sharp — clever
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stem — to come from
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chest — of your body
  14. scale — in music
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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