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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: bark · jam · snap · nail · pop · bowl · club · capital

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — money
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — a city
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pop — to visit
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. club — for golf
  10. bark — to shout
  11. club — a group
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. club — for dancing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pop — soda
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bark — of a tree

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