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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: arm · tear · march · wake · wax · bear · jam · shower

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bear — the animal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — to grow
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. shower — rain
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. arm — a part of something

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