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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 120 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: lean · key · game · firm · bulb · lash · arm · row

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. firm — a company
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — for light
  9. firm — decided
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. key — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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