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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 116 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 · tear · club · court · key · staff · fan · hand

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. club — for golf
  3. tear — to rip
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — a group
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — a stick
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of a king
  20. key — in music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. staff — employees

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