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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: mate · cue · spring · cold · calf · rush · pitcher · lean

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lean — thin
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rush — a thrill

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