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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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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: drill · spring · bark · cue · deal · stick · kid · bowl

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — army training
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cue — a hint
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  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