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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: jam · hand · row · rush · ball · lean · wake · content

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — the amount
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to bend
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lean — thin
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rush — hurry
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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