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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: kid · jam · present · wound · wind · wave · mark · track

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wind — moving air
  4. present — there
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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