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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · shower · mate · lie · chip · foot · tear · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spring — the season
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — rain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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