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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spring — a coil
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — thin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chest — a box
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — of water
  13. pop — soda
  14. firm — decided
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. firm — a company
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spring — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. trunk — of a car

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