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

Word bank: cabinet · mouse · tear · pop · kick · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pop — soda
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pop — music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mouse — the animal

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