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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: snap · capital · leaves · lash · pop · safe · land · band

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a music group
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — soda
  13. land — ground
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a ring
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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