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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 · object · pop · bowl · wax · wake · march · date

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pop — music
  10. march — the month
  11. object — an aim
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — music
  14. object — to protest
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — a trail
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. object — a thing
  20. march — the month
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. wax — in the ear

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