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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 120 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: wound · mate · cue · rule · kick · lash · spell · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kick — in football
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — letters
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — magic
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rule — a law
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rule — government

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