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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · bulb · cap · season · rock · swing · snap · last

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. bulb — for light
  23. last — final
  24. bulb — of a plant

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