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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. board — to get on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — for a lock
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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