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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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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: key · fan · lie · face · cell · bore · spring · sharp

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lie — to recline
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spring — of water
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — in music
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — to point toward
  20. key — for a lock
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bore — to drill

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