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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 · land · fine · can · pass · dip · drill · band

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. can — to be able to
  3. snap — to click
  4. fine — high quality
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a ring
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pass — a permit
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a music group
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. can — a tin
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — ground

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