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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: bay · wave · jam · chest · track · hand · cell · clip

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. track — a path
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — a song
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. clip — to cut
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — a box
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. clip — a video
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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