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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lean — to bend
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — the season
  9. scale — in music
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. key — the most important part
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — in sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spring — of water
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — to rest against

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