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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: club · kick · wake · band · spring · scale · mug · rock

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. club — for dancing
  4. band — a music group
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. band — a ring
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. club — a group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — a coil
  18. scale — in music
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. kick — in football
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mug — a cup
  24. scale — for weighing

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