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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: wake · stick · hide · tear · rush · net · fork · key

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. key — in music
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — after costs
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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