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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: kick · staff · cue · lean · mine · scale · stick · saw

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kick — in football
  6. staff — employees
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. scale — in music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cue — for pool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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