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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — help
  3. key — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — magic
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  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