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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: mouse · cell · bat · hand · date · stick · spring · club

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cell — a phone
  22. club — for golf
  23. spring — of water
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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