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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a hint
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — for catching
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. net — after costs
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — of water
  24. rush — a thrill

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