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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: wax · cabinet · pop · root · cell · spring · snap · chip

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. root — of a word
  8. chip — to eat
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to click
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pop — soda
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — to visit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cell — a phone
  24. root — of a plant

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