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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: stick · kick · spring · patient · bat · plane · deal · hide

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — of water
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kick — in football
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. plane — a tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hide — to keep secret

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