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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. scale — size or range
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — for paper
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — a safe
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. face — to confront
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — to point toward
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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