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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — a trail
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lean — thin
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. key — for a lock
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. staff — a stick
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. key — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. plane — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — a straw man

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