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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: rush · spring · mark · cell · chest · deal · calf · bulb

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rush — hurry
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — in biology
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chest — of your body

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