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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · rock · wound · field · key · spell

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — for a lock

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