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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: bass · fall · pitcher · mark · bulb · stock · jam · wax

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bass — low music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fall — to drop
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — the season
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — for light

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