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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wind · craft · key · tear · degree · spell · last · tube

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — a container
  3. degree — an amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wind — moving air
  6. last — finally
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — temperature
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — in music
  13. spell — magic
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. tear — to rip
  20. last — to go on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. last — final

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