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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: toast · spring · kick · snap · wax · stock · club · calf

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spring — of water
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — goods
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — for golf
  20. toast — bread
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. club — a group
  24. calf — a young animal

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