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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 116 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: mine · rash · bark · spell · key · bass · nail · perch

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. perch — for a bird

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