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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. key — in music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — to visit
  13. club — for dancing
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — rain
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rest — a break

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