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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: arm · content · scale · jam · drill · stem · rush · wake

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. scale — in music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — a trail
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. content — happy
  14. scale — size or range
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — the amount
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stem — to come from

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