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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 120 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: wake · key · content · wound · capital · plane · bay · track

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a city
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wake — a trail
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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