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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · bowl · patient · wake · land · chest · can · row

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — a trail
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — to come down
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chest — a box
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. land — a country
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bowl — a dish

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