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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — a container
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — boats
  15. cell — a phone
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — a grade
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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