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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: field · tear · wound · rock · wake · perch · key · saw

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — in music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — the most important part
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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