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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: safe · straw · pop · staff · wound · saw · jam · game

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. game — wild animals
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pop — to visit
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pop — soda
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pop — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. jam — in traffic

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