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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 · pass · snap · bass · fall · mug · chip · stem

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — a face
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fall — the season
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pass — to spend time

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