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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spring — of water
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — electric
  9. fall — the season
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fall — to drop
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a ring
  16. current — happening now
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fall — to drop
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. current — of water

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