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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: straw · bulb · squash · wake · tube · jam · club · scale

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. scale — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. club — for golf
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. squash — to crush

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