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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: squash · stick · swing · key · chest · staff · bear · wind

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — the most important part
  10. swing — music
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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