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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 120 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: suit · spring · ground · can · cell · pop · fall · snap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spring — of water
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pop — music
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — in cards
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. suit — to fit
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — a position
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spring — the season
  24. snap — to click

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