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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 120 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 · cabinet · mouse · pound · object · capital · bulb · mine

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — a thing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. capital — a city
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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