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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: hand · craft · wave · jam · wax · wound · fork · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wax — to grow
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. hand — help
  10. fork — in a road
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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