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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: stick · lash · jam · wound · roll · game · fan · snap

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. roll — a cake
  4. snap — to click
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a list
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. jam — in traffic

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