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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: stem · wave · object · snap · fork · cap · rest · club

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. object — to protest
  4. fork — in a road
  5. object — an aim
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — a thing
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — for golf
  19. rest — a break
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — of ice

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