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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: snap · scale · track · capital · fan · cell · wind · pop

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — in biology
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pop — to visit
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — a song
  22. pop — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in a prison

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