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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · ball · date · roll · pit · rock · kick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. spring — the season
  3. date — the fruit
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a great time
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rock — music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kick — in football
  19. spring — of water
  20. pit — in a race
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. tube — the underground
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — a container

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