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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: face · key · spell · jam · land · pit · wave · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — ground
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — letters
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spell — magic
  19. key — in music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — the most important part
  24. land — a country

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