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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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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: key · chest · stand · roll · wound · snap · season · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — in music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. key — the most important part
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. roll — a list
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. season — in sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — for a lock
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stand — for spectators

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