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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stand — to bear

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