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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · wound · band · key · drill · pass · ground · shower

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a music group
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — the tool
  24. key — in music

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