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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: object · spring · kid · date · net · mug · wake · bear

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spring — of water
  6. object — to protest
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — a cup
  9. object — an aim
  10. kid — child
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — after costs
  17. mug — to rob
  18. net — for catching
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — the season
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bear — the 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