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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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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: band · mate · cold · lean · bear · stick · key · row

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — in music
  10. row — a line
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cold — not warm
  21. band — a music group
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lean — to bend

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