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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 120 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: rest · field · key · rock · tear · wind · safe · wake

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — a stone
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — a break
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rock — music
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — farmland
  20. key — in music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. field — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — to rip

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