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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: straw · wind · key · cap · prune · scale · wave · wound

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — of ice
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — in music
  11. scale — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — a lid
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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