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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · pop · club · cabinet · date · stick · hand · kick

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — help
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — the fruit
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — the season
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — to visit
  21. club — for golf
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — part of the body

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