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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
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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: bark · bulb · bat · jam · race · march · fall · wax

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — the season
  23. race — humankind
  24. bark — of a tree

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