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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: cold · bay · roll · pitcher · key · track · spring · bank

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. roll — a list
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spring — the season
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — not warm
  10. key — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. roll — a cake
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — an illness

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