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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 · lash · scale · patient · roll · arm · can · row

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. row — a line
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. can — to be able to
  10. scale — size or range
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. can — a tin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. row — to paddle
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. arm — part of the body

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