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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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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: key · snap · suit · trunk · wind · wound · toast · field

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. key — in music
  3. field — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — moving air
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — a subject
  12. snap — to click
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — an injury

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