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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: file · bound · kick · hide · spring · racket · mouse · chest

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chest — a box
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — in football
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spring — of water

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