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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 · craft · mate · kick · lash · stick · mug · foot

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mug — a cup
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — of water
  19. mug — a face
  20. craft — boats
  21. kick — in football
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. foot — a measure

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