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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 · wake · pop · cap · bank · mine · ball · pit

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pop — music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — for money
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pop — soda
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — for money
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — before a funeral

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