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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: snap · roll · spell · firm · spring · bass · lash · capital

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. capital — a city
  5. roll — a cake
  6. spell — letters
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — a company
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. firm — decided
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — of water
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to click
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — magic

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