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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: key · rest · kid · drill · wound · bound · staff · calf

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — certain
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. key — the most important part
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. drill — a practice
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — obliged
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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