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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bank · spell · snap · rush · key · pop · kid · field

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. snap — to click
  3. bank — for money
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. key — in music
  14. field — a subject
  15. spell — a short time
  16. kid — child
  17. field — farmland
  18. bank — of a river
  19. kid — to tease
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — to visit
  23. field — for sport
  24. rush — to hurry

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