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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cue — a signal
  4. present — there
  5. branch — a division
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spring — the season
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. kid — to tease
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — a gift
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. kid — child
  21. pound — a weight
  22. key — in music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spring — of water

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