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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — the most important part
  5. lean — thin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. key — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — to bend
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ruler — for measuring

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