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

Word bank: bay · coach · key · cell · jam · row · plane · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — a line
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. row — to paddle
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cell — a phone

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