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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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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — certain
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — a tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — in music

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