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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 116 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: mug · kick · deal · cold · spring · shower · saw · lie

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — to handle
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — to wash
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a face
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — to rob
  20. spring — of water
  21. cold — an illness
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lie — an untruth

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