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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 116 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 · wind · shower · mug · pass · staff · chip · spring

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spring — of water
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mug — a face
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mug — to rob
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — a permit
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wind — to turn a key

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