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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 120 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: key · bass · stem · cold · tear · spell · safe · club

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — magic
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — for dancing
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. club — for golf
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. key — in music
  24. cold — not warm

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