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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mug — a face
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pitch — completely
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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