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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: hand · jam · bowl · wave · racket · field · wake · snap

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. field — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. field — farmland
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. hand — help
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. racket — for tennis

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