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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · mine · key · tear · board · spell · straw · spring

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — in music
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — a coil
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. key — the most important part
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. board — a committee
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — for a lock
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spell — magic
  22. board — to get on
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — to sink

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