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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. present — a gift
  15. bark — to shout
  16. key — the most important part
  17. present — there
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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