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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: fork · rush · key · spring · club · season · pitcher · squash

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — for a lock
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — a group
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for dancing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. club — for golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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