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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — there
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — a gift
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. present — the time now
  12. spell — letters
  13. spring — of water
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to point toward
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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