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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: rush · spring · kid · clip · wake · suit · mine · mug

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mug — a face
  9. clip — for paper
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — a video
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. suit — in cards

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