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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 120 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: fine · wound · spring · trunk · pitcher · key · mine · bay

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. key — the most important part
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spring — of water
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. key — in music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

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