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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — to push
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. craft — a skill
  20. press — newspapers
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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