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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — clever
  6. court — for sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of law
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — of a king

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