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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: band · snap · fall · pitcher · wake · key · chip · mine

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — a trail
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — for digging
  13. key — the most important part
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. band — a ring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. snap — to click
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. band — a rubber band

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