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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · patient · lean · cell · wind · key

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. key — in music
  14. lean — thin
  15. swing — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. 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