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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: kid · band · kick · cabinet · hide · stick

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — child
  11. kick — in football
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a ring
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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