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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: wake · pit · spell · key · root · wound · hide · rest

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. root — of a word
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spell — magic
  16. wake — a trail
  17. spell — letters
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — the cause
  24. rest — what's left

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