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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 · wake · bear · jam · bay · file · straw · shower

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. shower — rain
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a line of people
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. file — a document
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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