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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. spring — a coil
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spring — the season
  7. clip — a video
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. root — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. clip — to cut
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. root — of a word
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — a weight

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