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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: key · fan · wound · shower · firm · spell · bay · trunk

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. firm — a company
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — to wash
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. key — in music
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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