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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: file · fork · snap · content · jam · ground · wax · spell

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. wax — to grow
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ground — a position
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. ground — crushed
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spell — magic
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. file — a line of people

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