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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: wax · jam · cold · spell · coach · bay · wound · hand

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. hand — help

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