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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: pitcher · fan · key · fine · squash · trunk · spring · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spring — a coil
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fine — all right
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — in music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. squash — the sport
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — in football

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