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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 116 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: bulb · mouse · capital · ball · clip · snap · pop · current

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a dance
  11. current — happening now
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. pop — music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — a video
  20. capital — a city
  21. current — electric
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — soda
  24. mouse — the animal

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