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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: mate · leaves · band · jam · bulb · bat · spring · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — in football
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bulb — for light
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a ring
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. band — a music group
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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