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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: trunk · mate · mug · lie · wave · kid · spring · key

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mate — a partner
  8. key — in music
  9. lie — to recline
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spring — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — of water
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — a coil
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mug — a cup

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