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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: wax · bulb · fall · jam · cap · fan · row · chest

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a hat
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fall — the season
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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