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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: stand · race · wave · mate · pop · squash · wake · jam

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — humankind
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pop — soda

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