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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: kid · straw · stick · spring · roll · stock · leaves · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — to tease
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — shares
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. roll — a cake
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. roll — a list
  24. leaves — lets stay

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