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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.

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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: bound · stand · mate · pop · squash · lean · key · fall

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. key — in music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bound — certain
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stand — to bear
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — soda
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mate — a friend
  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