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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: club · date · capital · pass · snap · season · mine · spring

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spring — a coil
  6. date — the fruit
  7. capital — money
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to click
  10. season — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. club — a group
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. capital — a city
  16. mine — for digging
  17. season — of the year
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pass — a permit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. club — for golf
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — the season

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