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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: straw · rash · kid · spring · rest · row · deal · cabinet

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rest — a break
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — child
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — a series
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — what's left
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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