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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: kid · cap · hand · snap · bulb · staff · nail · jam

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. snap — to click
  6. kid — child
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cap — a lid
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cap — of ice
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — for light
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — help
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. staff — employees

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