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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: fine · land · straw · bear · track · plane · key · row

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — a song
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — to come down
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. track — a path
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. key — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — a country
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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