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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 116 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: cabinet · stick · track · wound · spring · pitcher · present · last

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. present — there
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — the season
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — finally
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. track — to keep track

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