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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: nail · cap · face · stem · suit · spring · race · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — of ice
  6. suit — to fit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cap — a lid
  21. face — to point toward
  22. suit — in cards
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spring — a coil

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