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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: bay · kick · hand · bear · squash · bass · spring · wind

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — low music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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