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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — army training
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — thin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — a practice
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — a thing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. key — the most important part
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. key — in music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. branch — a division

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