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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 116 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 · cap · staff · mine · sharp · key · shower · trunk

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — to wash
  9. sharp — clever
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lean — to bend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mine — an explosive

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