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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: fork · season · trunk · fine · pass · wind · rash · key

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. key — the most important part
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. key — in music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — for a lock
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fine — a penalty

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