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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: spring · jam · snap · wax · march · squash · track · bat

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — a path
  7. march — the month
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spring — of water
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — music

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