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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: charge · cue · wound · shower · pop · jam · snap · saw

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — a price
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — for pool
  17. shower — rain
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a signal
  24. charge — electricity

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