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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: date · wax · jam · cold · perch · arm · ball · wave

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cold — an illness
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wave — of the sea

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