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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: degree · key · cabinet · tear · can · face · rock · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. key — for a lock
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. degree — from a university
  23. face — to confront
  24. lean — thin

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