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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: fall · snap · cell · stand · spring · ball · cabinet · race

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — to bear
  9. race — humankind
  10. fall — the season
  11. race — a contest
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ball — a great time
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a dance
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — in biology
  24. race — the arms race

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