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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: fall · spell · snap · can · straw · mug · cap · present

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — the time now
  3. mug — a face
  4. present — a gift
  5. mug — to rob
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — letters
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spell — magic
  12. fall — the season
  13. cap — a hat
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mug — a cup
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — there
  24. can — a tin

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