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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hand — help
  6. present — there
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — the season
  9. key — for a lock
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. present — a gift
  12. spring — of water
  13. vault — a safe
  14. present — the time now
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stand — to bear
  24. prune — to trim

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