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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: bank · straw · fork · wave · bat · spring · pound · jam

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spring — the season
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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