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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · fine · snap · net · chest · spring · wave

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fine — all right
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — a coil
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — the season
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — after costs
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — in sport
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — of water
  22. date — the fruit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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