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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: staff · snap · spring · chair · drill · jam · lash · racket

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a leader
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. spring — a coil
  11. drill — the tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. drill — a practice
  20. spring — of water
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. drill — army training
  23. spring — the season
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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