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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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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 · band · pass · toast · pop · bank · trunk

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bank — for money
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — soda
  11. bank — for money
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. toast — bread
  14. bank — of a river
  15. band — a music group
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pop — music
  22. land — a country
  23. pass — to succeed
  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