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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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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 · roll · jam · rest · branch · hand · row · rash

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — in music
  4. rash — a series
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — a break
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. roll — a list
  15. rash — hasty
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rest — what's left
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — size or range
  24. roll — a cake

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