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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: mug · kick · kid · bore · wave · spring · spell · staff

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mug — to rob
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spring — a coil
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. spell — letters
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spell — a short time
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spell — magic

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