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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: ground · wax · jam · foot · saw · rule · snap · kid

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. ground — a position
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — crushed
  11. snap — to click
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — in the ear
  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