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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: mouse · content · rush · nail · wake · staff · wound · key

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — employees
  23. key — for a lock
  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