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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 120 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: mouse · fan · key · rock · stick · wave · tear · pit

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — in music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pit — in a race
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rock — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wave — with your hand

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