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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: spring · date · spell · row · wax · bass · jam · content

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — the amount
  3. spell — magic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — happy
  7. row — a line
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spring — of water
  15. bass — the fish
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spring — a coil
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. row — to paddle
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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