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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: wax · snap · bound · cell · jam · wind · nail · degree

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wind — moving air
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bound — certain
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bound — tied together
  24. jam — a tight spot

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