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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — the most important part
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — of water
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a line
  17. last — to go on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — in music
  23. last — finally
  24. key — for a lock

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