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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. object — to protest
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — a thing
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. fall — the season
  15. row — a line
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — to paddle
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a word
  23. object — an aim
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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