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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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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: bear · season · club · track · rush · clip · lean · key

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — a path
  5. season — in sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — thin
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. key — in music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bear — the animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. rush — hurry
  19. club — for dancing
  20. track — a song
  21. club — a group
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rush — a thrill

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