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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — for a lock
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. track — a song
  6. key — the most important part
  7. band — a music group
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — a box
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a ring
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. racket — a loud noise

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