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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: kid · object · tear · cue · spring · fan · date · calf

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — child
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. date — the fruit
  14. object — to protest
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. object — an aim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spring — the season
  22. cue — a hint
  23. object — a thing
  24. date — on the calendar

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