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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: snap · kid · saw · content · land · mark · can · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — the amount
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — happy
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mark — a trace
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mark — a grade
  13. land — to come down
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. saw — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — a country
  20. can — to be able to
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. land — ground
  24. content — videos and posts

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