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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: season · date · bound · rush · nail · wax · fine · jam

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rush — hurry
  6. season — of the year
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — in sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — high quality

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