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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: land · mouse · season · nail · capital · press · bulb · snap

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. capital — a city
  3. snap — to click
  4. land — ground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — of the year
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — a publisher

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