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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 · pitcher · wax · stock · face · game · club · calf

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stock — goods
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to point toward
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. game — wild animals
  9. face — part of the head
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wax — to grow
  12. club — for dancing
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — to confront
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. club — a group
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stock — shares

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