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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · date · jam · current · lash · bear · mine · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. current — electric
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. date — the fruit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. current — happening now
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. current — of water

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