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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — magic
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — letters
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — the most important part
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — in sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — certain
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — obliged

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