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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: object · spring · kid · date · net · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. spring — of water
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — to tease
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — child
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. object — to protest
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face

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