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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: lean · jam · temple · mark · clip · wax · race · straw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. clip — to cut
  3. race — humankind
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. race — a contest
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. lean — to bend
  14. clip — a video
  15. lean — thin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. temple — side of the head
  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