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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: scale · can · cell · jam · fine · squash · land · plane

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. can — to be able to
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. land — ground
  8. can — a tin
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in biology
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. plane — a tool
  23. land — to come down
  24. plane — an aircraft

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