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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: suit · spring · bulb · key · wake · pitcher · squash · stick

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — of water
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. suit — to fit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bulb — for light
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. key — in music
  24. squash — to crush

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