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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — to rob
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. game — a match
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — the season
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mouse — the animal

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