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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: stem · jam · bat · bass · track · wax · bound · straw

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a path
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bat — the animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bass — low music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — certain

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