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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: jam · land · kick · mouse · fork · wave · stem · shower

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — rain
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — to come down
  23. kick — in football
  24. mouse — the animal

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