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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. season — of the year
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. season — in sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. key — for a lock
  18. face — to confront
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. file — a tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — in music
  24. file — a line of people

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