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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — a coil
  3. roll — a list
  4. spell — a short time
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spell — magic
  11. present — a gift
  12. spell — letters
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. stem — to come from
  17. key — in music
  18. roll — a cake

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