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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. key — in music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — to drop
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fall — the season
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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