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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: chest · snap · bulb · craft · tube · pit · cabinet · suit

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pit — a hole
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — the underground
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tube — a container
  23. bulb — for light
  24. craft — a handicraft

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