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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: net · pound · band · patient · wax · bowl · bulb · jam

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pound — a weight
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bulb — of a plant

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