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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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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: wake · racket · cabinet · last · straw · spring · plane · kid

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — to go on
  13. plane — a tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spring — the season
  18. last — finally
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — final
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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