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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: kick · mark · wake · wound · spring · ruler · mine · present

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — in football
  3. present — a gift
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. present — there
  7. spring — a coil
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — to pay attention

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