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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.

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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: wake · bay · stem · spell · firm · kid · key · net

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — a short time
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spell — letters
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — magic
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. firm — a company
  22. key — for a lock
  23. firm — decided
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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