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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: spring · staff · toast · wind · rush · bark · pass · kid

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. staff — employees
  24. pass — a permit

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