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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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Word bank
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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. key — for a lock
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to click
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spring — a coil
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kick — in football

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