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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: key · straw · patient · saw · wave · row · jam · dip

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. key — for a lock
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. row — a line
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. key — the most important part
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — in music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. dip — to sink

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