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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bound — tied together
  9. craft — boats
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — in music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — the most important part
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — 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