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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: wave · jam · bat · saw · roll · race · foot · trunk

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. roll — a list
  10. race — the arms race
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. race — humankind
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. race — a contest
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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