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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: wound · rash · spring · bowl · cabinet · kid · stick · dip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spring — of water
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — the season
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — child
  24. cabinet — ministers

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