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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: pop · wind · hand · perch · rush · staff · wake · key

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wake — a trail
  4. key — for a lock
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — to visit
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pop — soda
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. key — in music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — before a funeral

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