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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: racket · spring · trunk · mug · saw · kid · kick · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. kick — in football
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mug — a face
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mug — to rob
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — the season
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — a cup

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