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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: snap · wax · squash · stock · key · jam · kid · fall

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to click
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — shares
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kid — child
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fall — the season
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. key — in music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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