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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: bound · root · cap · can · bat · snap · chip · wake

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. can — a tin
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cap — a hat
  7. root — the cause
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bound — certain
  17. snap — to click
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. root — of a word
  24. wake — a trail

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