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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — in music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a document
  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