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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: present · ball · cue · kick · squash · branch · mine · spring

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. present — the time now
  12. spring — a coil
  13. branch — a division
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. present — a gift
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kick — in football
  19. cue — a signal
  20. present — there
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ball — a dance
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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