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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: hand · racket · leaves · stick · wax · wind · firm · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — steady
  5. hand — help
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. key — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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