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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. spring — of water
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tube — a container
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — to shout

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