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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — in music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — to tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rash — a series
  16. field — a subject
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spring — a coil
  24. march — the month

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