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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. net — after costs
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. swing — music
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. net — for catching
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lean — thin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — to play on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. swing — in golf
  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