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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. branch — a division
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. branch — 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