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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: key · spell · bass · club · can · game · wound · lean

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. key — in music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spell — a short time
  5. game — a match
  6. bass — the fish
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — letters
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bass — low music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — thin

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