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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in biology
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. key — for a lock
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — the most important part
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wake — a trail
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — the season

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