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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: kid · rock · date · jam · cabinet · drill · stem · snap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — army training
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rock — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  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