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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 116 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 · pop · band · wake · cue · bound · rash · cap

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pop — music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — certain
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — tied together

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