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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: present · stick · wound · jam · land · scale · rock · tear

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — a gift
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — from crying
  10. present — the time now
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. present — there
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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