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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: cold · plane · wake · board · bass · firm · key · saw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. board — to get on
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — the most important part
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. key — in music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — not warm
  15. firm — decided
  16. cold — an illness
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. wake — a trail
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bass — low music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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