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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: snap · press · bark · track · jam · current · cap · rash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. press — to push
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. current — of water
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — a lid
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. snap — to click
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a path
  20. bark — to shout
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cap — of ice
  23. press — newspapers
  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