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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: jam · pass · bat · row · bass · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. row — a line
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pass — a permit
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — low music
  18. bat — for baseball

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