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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: pop · drill · dip · mouse · hand · deal · spring · cell

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pop — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. spring — of water
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pop — soda
  13. cell — a phone
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — the season
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — in cards
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — help

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