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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 · object · key · ground · bulb · jam · foot · wax

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. key — in music
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. key — the most important part
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — crushed
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. season — of the year
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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