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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 120 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: pop · rash · spring · stick · foot · cue · leaves · cabinet

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — the season
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — to visit
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. foot — a measure

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