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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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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: present · mouse · stick · kick · kid · rash · bank · wake

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — a gift
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kid — child
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bank — for money
  18. present — the time now
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rash — hasty
  21. present — there
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — before a funeral

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