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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: wind · pound · key · bay · fine · bear · scale · rush

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — all right
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pound — a weight
  20. key — in music
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — in music

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