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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.

Words on the sheet
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: spring · kick · mouse · field · present · toast · bound · cap

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — the time now
  14. bound — certain
  15. present — there
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spring — the season
  19. toast — bread
  20. bound — obliged
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cap — a hat
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mouse — for a computer

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