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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — in music
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — in music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. key — the most important part
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spring — a coil
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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