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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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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: wave · snap · date · file · bank · jam · bat · capital

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. file — a line of people
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — with your hand

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