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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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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: key · cue · face · spring · cell · stick · drill · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. face — to confront
  3. wind — moving air
  4. key — the most important part
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — in music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — the season
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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