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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: wind · pitcher · key · firm · spring · wave · field · snap

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — the most important part
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — the season
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — of water
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wind — moving air
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to click
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — steady

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