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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: snap · spring · mate · lie · cabinet · shower · can · wax

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — of water
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. snap — to click
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mate — to breed
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — the season

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