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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · snap · bulb · roll · content · mine · jam · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. roll — a list
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. content — the amount
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — a cake
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — in cards
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cell — in a prison

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