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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. drill — a practice
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hand — in cards
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stem — to come from
  19. drill — army training
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — help
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spring — the season

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