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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: spring · kid · fine · leaves · snap · foot · racket · patient

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spring — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. foot — a measure
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to click
  12. fine — all right
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kid — to tease
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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