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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: bound · bulb · fine · jam · squash · wax · season · sharp

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fine — a penalty

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