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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: saw · nail · ball · kick · rest · kid · spring · tube

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — child
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — of water
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — the underground
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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