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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: wake · clip · mate · spring · key · rock · ball · wind

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spring — of water
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — for paper

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