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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — a stone
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — in music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — music
  22. spring — the season
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spring — of water

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