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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: land · lash · key · game · spring · bank · pop · cue

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pop — music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — soda
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bank — for money
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. game — a match
  15. key — in music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spring — of water
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. game — a kind of play

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