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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: cap · cell · face · key · bark · pitcher · wake · spring

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — the season
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — in music
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bark — to shout
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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