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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: date · ground · jam · club · fan · wax · pass · clip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — the fruit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for golf
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ground — a position
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. clip — for paper
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. club — a group
  19. ground — crushed
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pass — a permit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wax — to grow

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