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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.

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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. spring — the season
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a music group
  4. key — for a lock
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — a division
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. game — a match
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a ring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. game — wild animals
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — a skill
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  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