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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · last · pitcher · mark · band · lean · cell · drill

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. last — finally
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. key — in music
  6. last — final
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. last — to go on
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — for a lock
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a ring
  21. drill — a practice
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — a phone
  24. drill — the tool

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