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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: capital · mouse · prune · lash · bass · snap · mark · land

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — a grade
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to click
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. land — ground

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