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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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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 · cap · stem · clip · cell · spring · bound · bass

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. cap — of ice
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — certain
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. clip — a video
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cell — in biology
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. clip — for paper
  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