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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 · bulb · cabinet · pass · cap · cold · fan · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to click
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pass — to spend time

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