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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: kick · wound · tube · clip · mine · key · leaves · bay

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kick — in football
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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