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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. key — for a lock
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — for money

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