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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: degree · cue · can · snap · bear · cabinet · capital · wake

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. can — a tin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cue — a signal
  17. snap — to click
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bear — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. degree — an amount

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