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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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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: sharp · band · track · land · wake · key · stick · saw

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. saw — the tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — clever
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. key — in music
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — a country

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