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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: staff · spring · lean · field · club · kick · cue · deal

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kick — in football
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — for pool
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. field — for sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — of water
  21. club — for golf
  22. lean — thin
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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