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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — of water
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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