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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: pop · jam · fork · snap · nail · bear · cell · wax

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fork — in a road
  14. snap — to click
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pop — soda

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