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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: bank · mouse · kick · game · shower · wake · stick · spring

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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