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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 120 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: snap · pop · spring · hide · nail · rest · cabinet · ruler

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — the season
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rest — a break
  6. pop — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pop — soda
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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