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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: toast · land · nail · snap · bulb · pop · cap · rush

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — bread
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cap — a hat
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to click
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — for light

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