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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mug — a face
  4. key — the most important part
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — thin
  8. file — a tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — for a lock
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. key — in music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a document
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — a tin
  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