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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: spring · pass · file · jam · stock · hand · snap · date

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — a coil
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. file — a tool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a line of people
  17. date — the fruit
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to click
  24. date — on the calendar

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