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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · fan · jam · spring · wax · wave · hide · mine

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. jam — in traffic

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