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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 · spring · spell · lie · fine · mug · snap · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — letters
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — in football
  12. club — for golf
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — of water
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — to rob

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