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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 124 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — thin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — for sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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