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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stick · key · bound · wave · bark · face · clip · hand

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. face — to confront
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. clip — a video
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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