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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: staff · stick · squash · kick · present · mouse · march · craft

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. craft — boats
  4. present — a gift
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. staff — employees
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. present — the time now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. present — there
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. staff — a stick
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — a skill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. march — music

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