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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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468
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 · rush · fork · spring · staff · foot · stick · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — of water
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. club — a group
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — the season
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. foot — a measure
  22. staff — employees
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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