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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: wave · cell · deal · content · fork · snap

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. content — happy
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. content — videos and posts

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