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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 · file · wind · cell · content · shower · mouse · scale

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — happy
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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