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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · ground · patient · stick · game · perch · object · key

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — the season
  3. object — to protest
  4. ground — a position
  5. object — a thing
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — the fish
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ground — crushed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — a match
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — an aim
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spring — a coil

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