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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. key — the most important part
  3. snap — to click
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — in sport
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — of a river
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. key — in music
  18. net — after costs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bank — for 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