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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: cabinet · snap · spring · pitcher · file · roll · press · stem

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a line of people
  4. roll — a list
  5. spring — a coil
  6. roll — a cake
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — the season
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. press — newspapers

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