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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: toast · wax · jam · season · club · roll · pitcher · safe

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. roll — a list
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for dancing
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — to grow
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. club — for golf
  23. wax — in the ear
  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