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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: wake · nail · roll · tear · chest · rush · key · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. roll — a cake
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — a company
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — in music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — decided
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — a box
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chest — of your body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. roll — a list
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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