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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: club · bear · pitcher · land · pop · jam · straw · wave

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. land — ground
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — a straw man

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