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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: cell · spring · bore · chest · last · kick · current · cue

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. current — electric
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — happening now
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — a box
  18. last — finally
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spring — of water
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. last — final

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