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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. craft — boats
  4. key — in music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. drill — a practice
  14. tube — the underground
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — the most important part
  18. craft — a skill
  19. drill — army training
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spring — of water
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — a sauce

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