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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a music group
  3. rash — a series
  4. snap — to click
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — in cards
  20. band — a ring
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — in a road

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