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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: mug · tube · jam · prune · hand · snap · safe · cold

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. snap — to click
  8. tube — the underground
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mug — a cup
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mug — a face
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — a container

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