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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: spring · perch · track · key · hand · spell · chip · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. key — in music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — magic
  6. fall — to drop
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. track — a song
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — to eat
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a path
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spell — letters
  24. chip — for betting

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