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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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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: kid · stick · mine · cue · nail · spring · net · foot

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spring — of water
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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