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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lean — to bend
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rock — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. band — a music group

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