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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 120 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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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: cap · object · wind · wake · snap · cell

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — an aim
  3. snap — to click
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — to protest
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — of ice
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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