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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 120 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: bound · march · spell · field · snap · can · key · fan

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. march — music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — obliged
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — tied together
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. spell — letters
  16. key — in music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bound — certain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — for sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — the most important part
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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