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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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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: wind · bear · tear · mine · pop · mark · bay · key

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. key — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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