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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. key — the most important part
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a ring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — a city
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. key — for a lock
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a music group
  24. capital — money

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