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

Word bank: snap · rest · bear · scale · capital · lash · bulb · race

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — what's left
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — a break
  10. race — a contest
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bulb — for light
  14. race — humankind
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. capital — money
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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