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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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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: bay · spring · stick · suit · kid · land · track · squash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. suit — to fit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — clothes
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — child
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. suit — in cards
  19. track — a path
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. land — to come down
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — ground

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