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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 116 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: straw · shower · club · wave · wake · march · pop · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wake — a trail
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — rain
  20. pop — music
  21. march — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. march — the month

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