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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: toast · tear · key · band · hide · wake · bass · spring

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — in music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. toast — bread
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tear — to rip
  24. key — for a lock

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