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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 116 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. spring — a coil
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spring — the season
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — for a lock
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. key — in 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