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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: bear · pound · saw · net · jam · wave · kid · trunk

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wave — with your hand

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