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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a music group
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a ring
  11. kick — in football
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spring — the season

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