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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: mate · bass · rock · jam · sharp · wax · date · spring

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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