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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 · ball · bulb · kid · hide · wax · ground · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — soda
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a dance
  15. kid — child
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a great time
  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