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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: can · cabinet · ground · kick · bowl · stem · lie · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kick — in football
  7. snap — to click
  8. can — a tin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ground — a position
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — to come from

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