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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 120 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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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: hide · stick · snap · club · temple · land · spring · racket

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — ground
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — a country
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to click
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — of water
  20. land — to come down
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

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