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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: mouse · stick · ball · club · spring · cold · bear · lean

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — an illness
  7. club — for golf
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mouse — the animal

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