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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
468
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 · rock · pit · clip · wax · mine

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pit — a hole
  15. clip — a video
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pit — in a race
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — to move gently

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