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

Word bank: content · chip · stand · wind · jam · trunk · snap · scale

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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