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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: firm · bulb · fork · file · bat · wax · pitch · jam

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bat — the animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. firm — steady
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitch — completely
  11. file — a document
  12. firm — decided
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — in a road
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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