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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
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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: cabinet · cap · snap · coach · lean · mine · stem · face

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — to confront
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — of ice
  15. snap — to click
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lean — thin

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