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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. chip — to eat
  24. net — after costs

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