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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · capital · fan · bank · snap · pitcher · object · drill

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. object — an aim
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. object — to protest
  19. drill — a practice
  20. object — a thing
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bank — for money

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