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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: hand · wake · cell · jam · pop · rest · roll · snap

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. roll — a list
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wake — a trail
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to click
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cell — a phone
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — before a funeral

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