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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: bank · face · kid · object · cap · key · last · fan

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cap — a lid
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cap — of ice
  7. object — an aim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kid — to tease
  12. face — to confront
  13. last — finally
  14. bank — for money
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. face — to point toward
  17. last — to go on
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a hat
  20. object — a thing
  21. last — final
  22. kid — child
  23. key — in music
  24. bank — of a river

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