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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: drill · straw · cap · wind · bay · wound · key · leaves

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bay — a horse colour

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