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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — a position
  6. present — a gift
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chest — of your body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. present — there
  16. ground — the earth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. present — the time now
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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