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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: jam · patient · wake · straw · pop · wound · rash · wind

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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