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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 · chest · root · squash · rest · nail · club · wake

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. root — the cause
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — a group
  17. squash — the sport
  18. key — in music
  19. root — of a word
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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