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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: hide · jam · cold · wound · fall · scale · nail · rock

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. fall — to drop
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rock — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cold — an illness
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fall — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  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