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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — the season
  4. key — for a lock
  5. drill — army training
  6. board — to get on
  7. chest — a box
  8. key — the most important part
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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