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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a music group
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. key — in music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a ring
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. key — the most important part

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