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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: bass · snap · jam · current · content · wax · tear · stick

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bass — the fish
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. content — the amount
  10. snap — to click
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. current — of water
  15. content — happy
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — low music

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