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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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468
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: cabinet · fan · content · nail · snap · row · cap · stem

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cap — of ice
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to click
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — happy
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stem — a stem cell

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