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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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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: cue · jam · stem · scale · bay · tear · rest · march

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — for pool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cue — a hint
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — the month
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stem — to come from
  24. jam — in traffic

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