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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 116 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: fan · bank · key · clip · bore · rash · court · spell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bank — for money
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — magic
  18. court — of a king
  19. bore — to drill
  20. court — of law
  21. key — in music
  22. bank — for money
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. key — for a lock

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