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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: key · cap · pop · wound · band · bay · hand · saw

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — in music
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — to visit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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