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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: spring · wake · straw · court · prune · kick · bass · chip

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — a trail
  7. chip — to eat
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — the season
  15. court — of a king
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — for betting
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — the fruit

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