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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. club — for dancing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. club — for golf
  10. perch — the fish
  11. club — a group
  12. bore — to drill
  13. degree — an amount
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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