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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: pop · mug · game · mate · can · band · trunk · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mug — a face
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mug — a cup
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mug — to rob
  9. band — a music group
  10. game — a match
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. can — to be able to
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — soda
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a ring

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