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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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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bank — of a river
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. snap — to click
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bank — for money
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — 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