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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: jam · toast · club · bark · clip · straw · wave · wax

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — bread
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wax — to grow
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. clip — a video
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. clip — for paper
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. club — a group

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