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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: fan · object · bear · capital · toast · bass · mark · snap

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — a thing
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bass — low music
  11. object — an aim
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. object — to protest
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bear — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — a grade

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