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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: court · straw · wave · field · firm · tear · tube · jam

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — the underground
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. court — for sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — a container
  8. court — of law
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. court — of a king
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. field — a subject
  17. tear — to rip
  18. firm — decided
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — a company
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. firm — steady

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