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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bat · wound · leaves · bulb · board · tube · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — letters
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — magic
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — to get on
  9. tube — the underground
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — a container
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spell — a short time
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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