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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mouse · kick · field · foot · stock · kid · track

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — in football
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stock — goods
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. kick — with a leg

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