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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · kid · key · pass · dip · band · straw · spring

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spring — the season
  3. kid — to tease
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a ring
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pass — a permit
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — in music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — a sauce

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