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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · cap · current · spell · key · press · bound · wave

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cap — a hat
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — certain
  5. key — in music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. current — electric
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. current — happening now
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spell — magic
  18. bound — tied together
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — letters
  23. cap — of ice
  24. key — the most important part

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