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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — a company
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. firm — steady
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. key — in music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bark — to shout
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. firm — decided

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