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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: spring · jam · ground · deal · wound · kid · cue · date

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — a signal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ground — the earth
  13. spring — a coil
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a hint
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ground — crushed
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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