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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: cue · wound · face · bear · key · pitcher · can · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. face — to point toward

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