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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: clip · wake · board · pitcher · jam · spell · stem · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — to get on
  10. spell — letters
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a committee
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spell — magic
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — a video
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. stem — of a plant

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