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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: mine · pound · saw · date · kick · wake · mug · spring

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — the season
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. spring — of water
  22. mug — a cup
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — a coil

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