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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. key — in music
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spring — of water
  11. wound — an injury
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. key — the most important part
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. scale — size or range

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