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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: kick · ground · fan · wake · cabinet · key · spring · pass

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pass — a permit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — in football
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fan — to cool the air

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