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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. date — the fruit
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — low music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. spring — of water
  24. date — on the calendar

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