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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. key — in music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spell — magic
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stand — to bear
  17. key — for a lock
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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