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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 124 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — clever
  3. key — for a lock
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lean — to bend
  9. dip — to sink
  10. row — a line
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. key — in music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spring — of water
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spring — the season
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. key — the most important part

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