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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 116 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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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — for money
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — the season
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spring — of water
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cue — a signal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bark — of a tree

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