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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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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: cell · cabinet · staff · snap · tube · rule · wave · cold

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cold — an illness
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — a law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rule — government
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tube — a container
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cell — a phone

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