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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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 — the most important part
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. key — in music
  6. drill — army training
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — a coil
  11. key — for a lock
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cue — a signal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — a line
  19. cue — a hint
  20. branch — a division
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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