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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — for digging
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lean — thin
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — tied together
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — to bend
  22. craft — boats
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. craft — a handicraft

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