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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 · trunk · bulb · wax · snap · band · arm · scale

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. scale — size or range
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. band — a music group
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — in music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bulb — of a plant

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