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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: snap · wave · clip · spring · band · squash · capital · safe

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — for paper
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — of water
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — to crush
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. capital — money
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — a coil
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. squash — the sport

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