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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: ball · cue · key · roll · kick · wax · hand · spring

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. key — in music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — of water
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kick — in football
  24. roll — a list

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