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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ground — the earth
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. key — in music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. key — for a lock

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