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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. staff — a stick
  3. land — ground
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — to shout
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. staff — employees
  17. prune — to trim
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — for a lock
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spring — of water

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