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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: spring · content · kick · stand · staff · suit · mate · tear

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. suit — in cards
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — in football
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — employees
  19. stand — to bear
  20. content — the amount
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. staff — a stick

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