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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 · nail · racket · deal · roll · cell · spring · tube

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spring — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to click
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — a coil
  15. deal — to handle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. nail — on a finger

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