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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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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 · chest · branch · nail · mate · tear · firm · key

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. firm — a company
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — decided
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — steady
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lean — to bend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — a box
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — to breed
  22. branch — a division
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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