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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: wake · bowl · can · key · cabinet · branch · spring · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kick — in football
  8. spring — of water
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — a division
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — the most important part
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. key — in music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — a tin
  24. key — for a lock

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