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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — in music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. key — the most important part
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. key — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. scale — for weighing
  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