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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: key · leaves · chest · fan · kick · straw · deal · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chest — of your body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — in football
  15. chest — a box
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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