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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 120 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: bat · can · chest · fork · spring · rush · spell · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. can — to be able to
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — magic
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. spring — the season
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — a short time

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