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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: swing · key · bulb · drill · staff · kid · march · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. lean — thin
  2. kid — to tease
  3. staff — employees
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. march — music
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. drill — a practice
  11. key — for a lock
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. swing — music
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — army training
  18. kid — child
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. staff — employees
  22. swing — to play on
  23. key — in music
  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