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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 · press · spring · cap · chip · drill · wave · last

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chip — to eat
  8. last — to go on
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. last — finally
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — army training
  17. cap — a hat
  18. last — final
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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