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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: trunk · pop · jam · fan · shower · ball · bass · wax

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — low music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a dance
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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