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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. snap — to click
  3. capital — a city
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a ring
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. object — an aim
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. root — of a word
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. object — a thing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — a big letter

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