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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. key — the most important part
  3. row — a line
  4. last — to go on
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. key — in music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — finally
  10. row — to paddle
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. last — final
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. key — for a lock

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