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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: roll · can · wave · rush · capital · wound · snap · march

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. can — a tin
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. capital — money
  18. can — a tin
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wound — an injury

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