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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: stick · hand · wake · trunk · craft · jam · snap · mine

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. snap — to click
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. craft — a skill

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